Ivanov Takes Charge of Russian Military-Industrial Conglomerate

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Insightful commentators were hinting that Ivanov was on his way "out" as a potential presidential candidate when Putin suddenly promoted him to be chairman of the newly created Military-Industrial Commission.

These triumphant bureaucrats may consider themselves invincible and refuse to see the writing that has appeared on the Kremlin wall -- but the words they hate the most are repeated there 9,000 times: "Personal responsibility."

His record in advancing long-overdue military reform is truly dismal, but he has shown much inventiveness and even passion in protecting his generals from public criticism and arguing that the dreadful atmosphere in the barracks is merely a reflection of multiple social problems. Now he would deploy these talents to explain away the failures in launching satellites and accidents with combat planes falling apart in the air, which certainly have nothing to do with poor maintenance and reliance on antiquated technology. Such PR exercises are only a minor price to pay for the significant increase of his political "weight" and bureaucratic clout, as he is now sitting on the top of his own pyramid that distributes unaccountable funds towards well-hidden internal secret chambers.